F1's famous names return · F1 Fanatic Author Keith Collantine The classic names of F1 are all returning to the sport: Senna, Mansell, Prost, Piquet, Lauda and more could all be a feature on the grid one day. A quick search threw up 20 such drivers in the lower echelons of motor sport that could break into F1. Can you think of any others? Two more and we’ve got a grid full… Adrian Tambay Famous relative: Patrick Tambay (father) The elder Tambay was a good friend of Gilles Villeneuve and took his place at Ferrari when the Canadian lost his life. Anthony races as number 27 just as his father and Villeneuve did. He earned a place on BMW’s Young Driver Scholarship Programme for 2007 and is currently eighth in Formula BMW Germany. Nicolas Prost Famous relative: Alain Prost (father) Nicolas has a hell of a reputation to live up to – father Alain won four F1 titles, more than anyone bar Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio. He began racing in 2003. Currently in his second year of Spanish Formula Three he ranks fifth in the championship.

Vanina Ickx Famous relative: Jacky Ickx (father) Ickx senior could have been F1 champion and until recently held the record for the most Le Mans 24 Hour victories. Daughter Vanina – sadly the only woman on this list – seems to be more interested in skiing than motor racing, and has struggled awfully in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM). Mathias Lauda Famous relative: Niki Lauda (father) Three times F1 champion Niki Lauda famously got little support from his wealthy family when he embarked on his racing career. Son Mathias has had a similar experience. But Mathias failed to impress in F3000 (in 2004) or GP2 (2005) and moved to the DTM. He was beaten by team mate Susie Stoddard last year and yet, to the surprise of many, got chosen over her for a more competitive ride this year. He’s yet to deliver on that promise, though. Tomas Scheckter Famous relative: Jody Scheckter (father) The last man to win the championship for Ferrari before Schumacher was Jody Scheckter in 1979.

Today he is a highly regarded organic farmer, and his son Tomas races in the United States. Tomas’s chance at F1 came and went during Jaguar’s unhappy time in F1. While a test driver for the team he appeared in court and pleaded guilty to soliciting a prostitute, after which his contract was terminated. His driving reputation mirrored his fathers in some ways – after some wild moments in his youth his style has noticeably matured over the years. He races in the Indy Racing League. Tomas Scheckter on Maximum Motorsport Christian Jones Hard-as-bricks Australian Alan Jones gave Williams their first championship in 1980. He retired the next year after a spat with team mate Carlos Reutemann, but made two ill-starred attempts to return in the next six years. Son Christian has not had a great start to his racing career, with some dismal appearances for the Australia team in A1 Grand Prix. Nelson Piquet Jnr Famous relative: Nelson Piquet (father) Nelson Piquet won three F1 titles but his racing career petered out and was finally ruined by a horrible accident in Indy Cars. He put a lot of backing into son Nelsinho’s motor racing.

Nelson Piquet Jnr won the British Formula Three title in 2004. His second season of GP2 in 2006 was supposed to be his year – but a kid called Lewis Hamilton came along and blew him away. Now’s he’s a test driver for Renault and hammering on the door with both fists to get into a race seat. Will we then see the Hamilton-Piquet rivalry re-kindled? Henry Surtees Famous relative: John Surtees (father) John Surtees remains the only driver to have won F1 and motor cycling world championships. Today he runs Britain’s A1 Grand Prix team. Despite his F1 title being 43 years ago, son Henry is only getting started now and lies fourth in the UK Formula BMW championship. Anthony Comas Famous relative: Eric Comas (father) Frenchman Eric Comas raced in F1 from 1991-4 but never got behind the wheel of a competitive car. His best result was fifth at his home race in 1992, driving an appropriately Gallic Ligier-Renault. Son Anthony races in the same Formula BMW category as Henry Surtees and is currently 15th in a 19-strong championship.

He’s got a long way to go. Freddie Hunt Famous relative: James Hunt (father) James Hunt, 1976 world champion, was famous for more than just his racing. He had put his wilder days behind him when he died suddenly of a heart condition in 1993. Son Freddie was only six at the time and decided to make a start in motor racing last year. He started the 2007 UK Formula Ford championship late due to a lack of sponsorship and is working hard to make up for lost time. Jolyon Palmer Famous relative: Jonathan Palmer (father) Being the son of the man who owns some of Britain’s best racing circuits has its advantages – Jolyon first drove a racing car at father Jonathan’s Bedford Autodrome. He moved on to T Cars and this year races in – what else – Formula Palmer Audi. He is currently tied for fourth in the championship having won his first race in the series two weeks ago. Alex Brundle Famous relative: Martin Brundle (father) Martin Brundle, just like Jonathan Palmer, picked up the microphone when his F1 career ended.

But while Palmer proved more adept at his business ventures Brundle has become a firm favourite with F1 fans and is in his 11th season of F1 commentating. Son Alex’s motor racing career has been closely tied with Jolyon Palmer’s. The younger Brundle is 11th in Formula Palmer Audi this year. Marco Andretti Famous relatives: Michael Andretti (father), Mario Andretti (grandfather) The Andretti dynasty is one of America’s great motor racing family. F1 fans remember Michael’s abortive effort with disdain but both he and father Mario enjoyed great success in the States. Mario, of course, was F1 champion in ’78. What of Marco? He had a scintillating debut season for his father’s team in the Indy Racing League last year and nearly won the Indy 500 at his first attempt. But 2007 has not been kind to him so far. He’s tested for Honda but a season of GP2 would do him a power of good before embarking on F1.

Graham Rahal Famous relative: Bobby Rahal (father) Bobby Rahal had a brief career as an F1 driver but a longer tenure when he returned to lead Jaguar’s race team. Sadly it wasn’t any more successful. Graham has raced in A1 Grand Prix (for the Lebanon team owing to his descent) and is currently Sebastian Bourdais’ team mate in Champ Cars. He’s had a bit of a rough start to the season but couldn’t have a better team mate to learn from. Markus Winkelhock Famous relatives: Manfred Winkelhock (father), Jo Winkelhock (uncle) Markus is another driver who has entered a sport that killed a close relative of his. For Markus it was father Manfred, an F1 driver of the early ’80s who was killed in a sports car race at Mosport in 1985. Manfred’s brother Joachim had a brief and unsuccessful F1 career but won the British Touring Car Championship in 1993. Markus raced in Formula Three from 2001-3 and the DTM in 2004.

In 2005 he finished third in the World Series by Renault behind Robert Kubica and Adri?���?�?�n Vall?���?�?�s. The following year he became a test driver for MidlandF1 and remains with the team, now Spyker, where Vall?���?�?�s is also a tester. Anthony Beltoise Famous relative: Jean-Pierre Beltoise (father) Jean-Pierre Beltoise scored only one victory in his F1 career. But of all the races to win he triumphed at Monaco, in pouring rain, in 1972 . Son Anthony entered French Formula Renault in 1993, finishing tenth. Two years later he was second in French Formula Three but then he moved from single seaters to tin-tops. In 1999 he won the Spa 24 Hours with Fr?���?�?�d?���?�?�ric Bouvy and Emmanuel Collard in a Peugeot 306. Since then he has raced Porsches and this year he made a one-off appearance in the World Touring Car Championship in the French round.

Kazuki Nakajima Famous relative: Saturo Nakajima (father) Saturo Nakajima got his F1 break courtesy of Honda in 1987, who placed him in Lotus alongside Senna. But son Kazuki got his F1 break thanks to Honda’s rival Toyota, who got him a test drive with Williams this year. Those who’ve made it already F1 has already seen two F1 drivers’ sons crowned champions – Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. Nico Rosberg, son of 1982 world champion Keke, races today, as did Christian Fittipaldi, nephew of two times champion Emerson. Related links Jacques Villeneuve | The F1 History Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit 1996 Villeneuve signed a two year contract with Williams with an option year available to him as well. Villeneuve impressed during his debut race in Australia , taking pole position and almost won the race.

But due to an oil leak Villeneuve was forced to slow down and allow team mate Damon Hill to pass Villeneuve at the 1996 Canadian Grand Prix and take victory at the opening round of the Championship, the Canadian however did manage to hold onto second place. It would be another 11 years before another driver finished on the podium on his debut which was Lewis Hamilton during the 2007 Australian Grand Prix . Villeneuve won his first Formula One race at the fourth round at the Nürburgring despite coming under pressure from the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher . Villeneuve won a further three races, his four race victories still stand as the most in a rookie season (matched by Lewis Hamilton in 2007), and managed to take the title to the final round in Japan . The Canadian and team mate Hill were the only drivers who could win the title, but with a gap of nine points between himself and Hill prior to the final race his chances of winning the title were slim. In the end, Hill won the race while Villeneuve retired on the 37th lap after his right–rear wheel came off.

Having won 4 races in his debut season, Jacques Villeneuve took the record for most wins in his first championship season. He also become the first driver in Formula One history to finish second in his first championship season. Both records were later equaled by Lewis Hamilton in 2007 . 1997 Hill was dropped by Williams for 1997 , making Villeneuve the team's lead driver. German Heinz-Harald Frentzen was brought into replace Hill. Villeneuve once again challenged for the title, but instead of Hill, the Canadian found himself battling with then double World Champion Michael Schumacher. Villenveue wins Williams F1's 100th race win, at the British GP Coulthard took the opening race in Australia but Villeneuve took the next two wins in Brazil and Argentina. Five more victories came that season at the Spanish, British, Hungarian, Austrian and Luxembourg Grand Prix. Villeneuve also claimed ten pole positions. His main rival Schumacher had five wins of his own to set up a showdown at the final race of the season. The title was decided at the final round in Jerez .

Villeneuve came out on top and won the World Championship in only his second season, but the race was remembered for a collision between himself and title rival Schumacher. As Villeneuve passed Schumacher at the Dry–Sac corner during the 48th lap, the German turned into the Canadian's car; leaving Villeneuve with a damaged sidepod. Villeneuve recovered however and took third place and the title while Schumacher retired and was disqualified from the Championship. 1998 Villeneuve at the 1998 Italian Grand Prix Villeneuve's career went into sharp decline following his World Championship title. Remaining with Williams in 1998 (and becoming the first Williams driver since Keke Rosberg in 1982 to stay with the team for his title defense), he struggled with an underpowered Mecachrome engine which were basically rebadged Renault V10 engines from the previous season that despite some development had been overtaken in power by both Ferrari and the Mercedes-Benz powered McLaren 's and he failed to win a single race (like Hill the previous season), although he did finish on the podium twice in Germany and Hungary .

Villeneuve finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 21 points, 79 points behind Champion Mika Häkkinen in the McLaren-Mercedes. BAR Edit 1999 In 1999 , Villeneuve joined the newly-founded British American Racing (BAR) team, co-founded and partly owned by Villeneuve's personal manager, Craig Pollock , and by Adrian Reynard . Joining him as his team mate was Brazilian Ricardo Zonta . There was a lot of media hype about the new squad, but despite the high expectations, BAR had a poor season, retiring from the first eleven races of the season -an unfortunate record - and not scoring a single Championship point. At times the car showed a promising pace, Villeneuve running in third place at Barcelona, but often, technical problems ruined his chances. 2000 Villeneuve in the BAR 002 Despite the lack of a competitive car in 1999, the Canadian remained loyal to Pollock's team as did Zonta.

The Supertec engines of the previous season were replaced by Honda engines and the new BAR–Honda package proved to be more competitive with Villeneuve finishing in the points on seven different occasions and almost secured a podium finish at the United States Grand Prix . 2001 Zonta left BAR in 2001 to join Jordan as a test driver. The Brazilian was replaced by experienced Frenchman Olivier Panis . Villeneuve was involved in a crash at the Australian Grand Prix , the first race of the season, when he hit the back of Ralf Schumacher 's Williams. A track marshal was killed when a stray tyre hit him in the chest. Villeneuve scored five points less than the previous season, but finished on the podium twice in Spain and Germany . The latter was the final podium finish of his Grand Prix career. 2002 Villeneuve at the 2002 US Grand Prix Pollock was sacked from his post as team manager in 2002 and was replaced by Prodrive boss David Richards . Along with Pollock, Richards sacked Technical Director Malcolm Oastler and fifty members of staff at BAR.

The Englishman soon began to debate over Villeneuve's £ 15 million annual salary. From this point on, Villeneuve felt less comfortable at the team. The BAR 004 proved to be a much less competitive car than the teams' previous two, with neither Villeneuve or Panis scoring points consistently with only seven points scored between them, Villeneuve scoring four points to Panis' three. 2003 With one year left to run on his contract Villeneuve turned down a lucrative offer to spend a season racing in CART before returning to BAR for 2004 and 2005, a deal which Villeneuve claimed was spoken about but never actually produced for him to sign. Instead, he decided that he would see out his present deal in the hope of landing a role at another Grand Prix team the following year. The Canadian was joined by Jenson Button from Renault in 2003 as Panis was offered a drive at the Toyota which the Frenchman took.

Button would prove to become the second of Villeneuve's teammates to outscore him in the Drivers' Championship as, unlike the Canadian, the Briton was able to score consistently with the BAR 005, finishing in the points every two races on average. Villeneuve was criticized by the media for being outpaced by his inexperienced teammate and before the final round in Japan , the Canadian was replaced by former British Formula Three Champion Takuma Sato . Renault F1 2004 Villeneuve at the 2004 Chinese Grand Prix With no contract for 2004, Villeneuve was forced to take a sabbatical, but maintained that he wanted to return to the sport. He continued training and made a special appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed driving his late father's Ferrari. In September, Villeneuve returned to Formula One, driving the final three Grands Prix of the season for the French Renault team. Jarno Trulli had fallen out of favour and team boss Flavio Briatore felt Villeneuve would be worth a gamble.

Although vowing to help Renault achieve second place in the constructors championship, ahead of his former team BAR, Villeneuve failed to score a single point, unable to finish any of his races on the lead lap; Renault settled for third in the final standings. Jacques admitted that the enforced lay-off had cost him vital seat time. With the cars so much faster than in 2003, he found it difficult to adapt, and with an up and coming Fernando Alonso as team-mate his task was made all the more difficult. The young Spaniard proved much faster. Just before his 3-race Renault comeback, Villeneuve signed a two-year contract to drive for Sauber , starting in 2005 . Sauber Edit 2005 His Sauber debut at the Australian Grand Prix saw him start the grid in fourth position, although the Canadian would finish the race nine places down the Villeneuve at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix order in thirteenth and a lap down. For the opening three races he was the slowest driver on Michelin tyres and rumours began to spread that he would soon be replaced.

The rumours proved unfounded and at Imola he scored his first points for the team with a fourth place. The pressure was soon back on him when he forced team-mate Felipe Massa off the track when attempting to overtake the Brazilian in Monaco , ruining both their races. Towards the end of the season, his pace improved and he scored more points at Belgium, where he finished sixth, moving ahead of Massa in the championship tables, although Massa repassed him after finishing 6th in the season finale in China. In terms of speed, the two team-mates were fairly evenly matched by the end of the year. Massa was later drafted into Ferrari to support Michael Schumacher's 2006 campaign. After much uncertainty, in late 2005 BMW confirmed that Villeneuve would race for BMW Sauber in 2006. GP2 frontrunner Heikki Kovalainen and Indycar champion Dan Wheldon had both been linked with the seat, but BMW opted to honour Villeneuve's contract; to cut the contract would possibly have been an expensive exercise that would have cost them around $2 million, and Villeneuve was popular with the sponsors and team personnel.

BMW Sauber 2006 Villeneuve walks away from his crashed F1.06 at the 2006 German Grand Prix, his last F1 race Several changes were made at Sauber during the off season. First, the Swiss team were bought by BMW and renamed BMW Sauber. The German manufacturer wished to start their own works team following a six year partnership with Villeneuve's former employers Williams. In addition, Massa left Sauber for the vacant role left by Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari and Nick Heidfeld was brought in to replace him. Villeneuve scored seven points during the first twelve rounds of the season. But at the German Grand Prix , Villeneuve had allegedly sustained an injury in a crash on lap 31. After replacing Villeneuve in Hungary , test driver Robert Kubica drove to a solid seventh place, despite the chaotic wet conditions, but was later disqualified because his car was too light. Within days, BMW and Villeneuve announced that they had parted company with immediate effect.

Stefan Grand Prix Drivers Drivers Championship Formula 1® Drivers The headline change among the 2017 driver line-ups is Valtteri Bottas joining reigning champions Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton's new team mate, following Nico Rosberg’s surprise retirement. Mercedes protege Esteban Ocon arrives at Force India from Manor, replacing Nico Hulkenberg who takes a works drive at Renault. At Haas, Kevin Magnussen is Romain Grosjean’s new team mate after departing Renault. At Williams, Felipe Massa reverses his retirement decision to partner Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, while at McLaren, Stoffel Vandoorne lines up alongside Fernando Alonso in the Belgian’s first full season on the grid. And Pascal Wehrlein moves from Manor to Sauber as team mate to Marcus Ericsson. To learn more about the world champions on the current grid - and since the inception of the drivers' title in 1950 - visit our Hall of Fame section. The headline change among the 2017 driver line-ups is Valtteri Bottas joining reigning champions Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton's new team mate, following Nico Rosberg’s surprise retirement.

Mercedes protege Esteban Ocon arrives at Force India from Manor, replacing Nico Hulkenberg who takes a works drive at Renault. At Haas, Kevin Magnussen is Romain Grosjean’s new team mate after departing Renault. At Williams, Felipe Massa reverses his retirement decision to partner Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, while at McLaren, Stoffel Vandoorne lines up alongside Fernando Alonso in the Belgian’s first full season on the grid. And Pascal Wehrlein moves from Manor to Sauber as team mate to Marcus Ericsson. To learn more about the world champions on the current grid - and since the inception of the drivers' title in 1950 - visit our Hall of Fame section. 2016 Drivers Championship MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS - Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton Team / Driver Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton, son of an English mother and a father whose parents originally came from Grenada, was born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, England. At the tender age of eight, Lewis sat in a kart for the first time and was immediately bitten by the racing bug.

Mercedes-Benz soon recognised the British youngster's enormous talent, becoming one of his sponsors right at the start of his career. Lewis not only showed incredible pace on the track but also climbed the career ladder at an impressive rate. After he had blown the competition out of the water in every category of karting and won the McLaren Mercedes Champions of the Future series, McLaren Mercedes enrolled him on their young driver programme in 1997. In 2001, he moved up into British Formula Renault, winning the title two years later. Lewis' winning streak continued unabated in the Formula 3 Euro Series. He was crowned junior champion whilst still in his second year and subsequently progressed to the GP2 Series with ART Grand Prix. Despite his rookie status, Lewis dominated the Championship - taking five victories on his way to the title. This success immediately led to his promotion to the very pinnacle of motor racing - Formula One. Lewis made his Grand Prix debut with McLaren Mercedes on 18 March 2007 as team-mate to reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso whilst still only 22 years old. Despite his youth, he remained in contention for the title right up until the season finale in Brazil - challenging top drivers with considerably more experience.

The numerous records set by Lewis in his rookie season highlighted his class - including the most race wins, pole positions and points scored in a debut season. What had already been an extraordinary career reached new heights in 2008, with a first Formula One World Championship crown. At the time of his title victory, Lewis was 23 years, 9 months and 26 days old - taking the accolade of youngest ever Formula One World Champion from Fernando Alonso. Four years later, after six successful seasons with McLaren Mercedes, Lewis sought a new challenge - joining the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team for the 2013 season. Lewis secured his first Silver Arrows podium in only his second race for the team at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with a maiden victory following eight races later in Hungary. A total of one victory, five podiums, five pole positions and one fastest lap saw Lewis finish his first campaign with the Silver Arrows in fourth place overall on 189 World Championship points. 2014 heralded the dawn of a new era for Formula One - and a second World Drivers' Championship crown for Lewis.

11 victories, 16 podium finishes, seven pole positions and seven fastest race laps from 19 races saw him take the title after a season-long battle with team-mate Nico Rosberg – culminating in a dramatic finale at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Highlights of a memorable year included fighting from the back of the grid to the podium in Germany and Hungary, plus a home victory at Silverstone. One year later, Lewis would repeat that feat in equally impressive fashion. A dominant title defence brought 10 victories, 17 podium finishes, 11 pole positions and eight fastest laps from 19 races en route to a third World Driver’s Championship – equalling the great Ayrton Senna and compatriot Sir Jackie Stewart. Lewis achieved a similar level of success in the 2016 season, scoring the most race wins (ten) and most pole positions (twelve). Lewis kept his World Championship hopes alive until the final weekend of the season in Abu Dhabi but ultimately had to settle for second place behind team-mate Nico. In the course of the longest Formula One season in history (21 races), Lewis also reached new heights.

He moved up to third place on the all-time leaderboard in the podium (105) and pole position (61) categories. His win in Abu Dhabi was not only the 150th Grand Prix victory for a Mercedes-powered vehicle but also his 53rd Formula One triumph overall. Lewis has thus overtaken four-time World Champion Alain Prost to become the second-most successful Formula One driver in terms of race wins behind record championship winner Michael Schumacher. Share this Page 5 Promising Young Drivers Who Were Denied a Proper Chance in Formula 1 | Bleacher Report 5 Promising Young Drivers Who Were Denied a Proper Chance in Formula 1 By Oliver Harden , Senior Writer Jan 9, 2016 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Drew Gibson/Getty Images 2 Comments As a three-time world champion at the age of 31, Lewis Hamilton is living proof of what can happen when Formula One teams place their faith in young drivers. Placed alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at the age of 22, Hamilton immediately repaid McLaren's trust by coming within a point of becoming the first-ever rookie champion in 2007.

Hamilton made up for his near-miss by winning the title by the same margin the following season and, after enduring a few lean years, he now stands alongside the most triumphant drivers in the sport's history as a three-time world champion. Success stories like those of Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, the four-time title winner, have become commonplace in recent years as F1 teams place an emphasis on homegrown talent. But there are plenty of promising young drivers who failed to realise their potential due to reasons including mismanagement, mere misfortune and shortage of sponsorship funds. As Hamilton and Vettel prepare to go head-to-head for the 2016 championship, here are five drivers who were denied a proper chance in F1; from those who disappeared after one or two seasons—such as former McLaren star Kevin Magnussen, above—to those who never made a grand prix appearance. Honourable Mentions Clive Mason/Getty Images One former GP2 champion features in our list, but another should also consider himself unfortunate as he continues to wait for an opportunity in Formula One.

After winning only three races en route to the 2013 championship, compared to the five victories claimed by title rival Sam Bird, Fabio Leimer barely registered on the F1 radar but seemed to rediscover some momentum in 2015. After joining Manor as reserve driver in June, the Swiss told ESPN F1's Nate Saunders that he expected to make his grand prix debut with the team—whom he first approached in his GP2-winning season—in 2015. But despite participating in practice in Hungary, a race seat didn't come the 26-year-old's way as Manor alternated between Roberto Merhi and Alexander Rossi in the final months of last season. If Leimer's exploits in the junior categories weren't enough to guarantee him a place in F1, Robert Wickens' successes certainly were. The Canadian finished second to Esteban Gutierrez in the 2013 GP3 standings and beat the likes of Jean-Eric Vergne and Rossi to the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 title.

But despite setting fastest times for Marussia and Lotus-Renault in the 2011 young-driver test in Abu Dhabi, where he participated in practice for the backmarkers, Wickens never really came close to an F1 drive and fell into the clutches of Mercedes, who found him a place in the DTM. And if you're looking for a driver who actually raced in F1 but was never given a proper chance, may we suggest Nelson Piquet Jr.? Yes, he only made five points finishes in one-and-a-half seasons and, yes, he was involved in the terrible "Crashgate" scandal of 2009, but as a young driver partnered with Fernando Alonso—in a Renault team under the abrasive Flavio Briatore and clearly built around the two-time world champion—he never stood a chance. Romain Grosjean's recovery from his adventures alongside Alonso in late '09 proved just how much a team in disarray can affect a youngster, and it is a shame Piquet—a highly versatile driver who challenged Lewis Hamilton for the 2006 GP2 title—was never afforded another opportunity in a more productive atmosphere.

Kevin Magnussen Mark Thompson/Getty Images As the latest member of the team's young-driver program to graduate immediately to a McLaren seat, Kevin Magnussen was regarded as the next Lewis Hamilton just two years ago. Indeed, the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 champion mimicked the British driver by starting fourth and reaching the podium in his debut race in Australia, becoming the first (and still the only) McLaren driver to stand on the balcony since November 2012. But that was as close as he came to following in Hamilton's footsteps. While Hamilton finished no lower than third in the first nine races of his career in 2007, Magnussen's form declined almost as quickly as McLaren's pace evaporated, the team's fall down the order exposing the true rawness of his driving. As later noted by F1 journalist Peter Windsor , the impact of his highly experienced team-mate, Jenson Button, on the team's development and setup paths possibly neutralised Magnussen's advantage in terms of outright speed. But that didn't stop Eric Boullier, McLaren's racing director, telling ESPN F1 that Magnussen was suffering from "rookie syndrome," a little-known condition preventing him from developing the car.

With good results increasingly scarce, Magnussen's driving became ever scruffier as Button's career entered an Indian summer, with a strong run of results toward the end of the season securing fifth spot in the constructors' championship and, most significantly, saving his skin ahead of Fernando Alonso's arrival. Demoted to a reserve role for 2015, Magnussen deputised for the injured Alonso in Australia, where he failed to even start after a pre-race technical issue 12 months on from his podium result. As he told Autosport 's Lawrence Barretto and Mitchell Adam, that wasted weekend came at the cost of a drive in IndyCar, where he would have remained fit, fresh and, above all, relevant ahead of a return to the F1 grid in 2016. Without the results and recent evidence to back up his talent, Magnussen was informed of his departure from McLaren on his 23rd birthday through an email from chairman Ron Dennis' personal assistant, as he told Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble .

To add insult to injury, he was then denied a reprieve by the new Haas team, whose team owner later told the official F1 website the American outfit would have signed the Dane had they been unable to lure Romain Grosjean from Lotus. Magnussen now spends his time feeling bitter about his stint at McLaren and testing non-F1 machinery in the hope that someone, somewhere, will offer him the chance to restart his career. Antonio Felix da Costa Andrew Hone/Getty Images Some drivers are just meant to drive for certain teams and some moves are just meant to happen. Just as Sebastian Vettel, even during his four consecutive title triumphs with Red Bull Racing, always seemed destined to race for Ferrari, Antonio Felix da Costa felt like a perfect match for Toro Rosso. Recruited by Red Bull's young-driver scheme in 2012, the Portuguese—having claimed six podium finishes, including four wins, in the final seven races—managed to finish fourth in the Formula Renault 3.5 championship despite missing the opening five races. Having won the iconic Macau Grand Prix event for good measure, Felix da Costa entered 2013 as the favourite for the 3.5 title.

But while he endured an inconsistent season, finishing third behind Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne, his route to F1 seemed to be unaffected. Surely, the theory went, when Daniel Ricciardo is confirmed as Mark Webber's replacement for 2014, Felix da Costa, like every Red Bull-backed boy wonder before him, would be the next cab off the rank? But after Red Bull's signing of Ricciardo at the beginning of September , the wait went on and on until mid-October when Toro Rosso confirmed the previously unheard of 19-year-old Daniil Kvyat as Ricciardo's successor. If missing out on an F1 seat to his own flatmate , albeit the newly crowned GP3 champion, was hard to take, just imagine how Felix da Costa felt in August 2014 when he—banished to the DTM and preparing for the inaugural season of Formula E—saw 16-year-old Max Verstappen given a Toro Rosso seat . By that stage it was obvious that Dr.

Helmut Marko, the head of the Red Bull Junior Team, had seen something he didn't like in Felix da Costa, who soon told Speed Week (h/t Motorsport.com ) his F1 career—which consisted of three young-driver tests in 2010, '12 and '13—was over. Nevertheless, Felix da Costa continued to attend grands prix as Red Bull's reserve driver until 2015, when the 24-year-old finally parted company with the team . Davide Valsecchi GREG WOOD/Getty Images From Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean, GP2 champions usually go on to enjoy successful careers in Formula One. But as teams continue to fast-track their young drivers to F1, ignoring the conventional path, the reputation of F1's official feeder series has taken a hit. While the F1 teams' reluctance to offer 2008 champion Giorgio Pantano a second chance was understandable—the Italian failed to impress in 14 grand prix appearances for Jordan in 2004—the curious case of Davide Valsecchi hinted that GP2 was facing bigger problems.

Despite his underwhelming junior career until that point, Valsecchi drove for Hispania in the 2010 young-driver test in Abu Dhabi before joining Team Lotus—who would later become Caterham—as reserve driver in 2011, when he participated in practice in Malaysia. After winning the GP2 title in 2012, albeit in a relatively weak field, the Italian secured a reserve role at the Enstone-based Lotus team for 2013. And it looked as if the black-and-gold outfit were set to offer Valsecchi, who spent much of the year staring at screens in the garage, a race debut when lead driver Kimi Raikkonen was ruled out of the final two races of the season due to a back operation. But rather than placing their trust in a rookie, Lotus—still in contention for second place in the constructors' standings—signed 2008 Hungarian GP winner Heikki Kovalainen, leaving Valsecchi outraged.

"From the sporting point of view it’s a tragedy," he told the Mirror's Byron Young , adding that he was "angry" to have missed out to Kovalainen, who was "not a great champion, not even an active driver" and whose "last results were five years ago." Valsecchi's frustration was justified as Kovalainen finished 14th in his two races for Lotus, who ultimately finished a distant fourth in the championship, but there was to be no way back following his outburst. He was dropped in favour of Charles Pic and, despite testing IndyCar machinery in late 2014, has not raced since. Working for Italian television in 2015, Valsecchi accompanied Raikkonen to work in Monaco when the 28-year-old, had he been given a chance by Lotus, could have been racing against the 2007 world champion. Robin Frijns Mark Thompson/Getty Images In the modern era, most of the truly special drivers—the potential grand prix winners and future world champions—tend to emerge from a young-driver academy of some description.

But for those with no links to Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes or Williams, the telltale sign of how good an up-and-coming driver is, and how great they may become, is when a number of teams fall over themselves to get a good, close look. That was the case for Robin Frijns, who despite never making a grand prix appearance drove in the colours of three separate teams. After accumulating three different junior championships in consecutive years—Formula BMW Europe (2010), Formula Renault 2.0 (2011) and Formula Renault 3.5 (2012), becoming the first debutant to win the latter since Robert Kubica—Frijns participated for two different outfits in a single young-driver test at Abu Dhabi in 2012. The Dutchman was let loose in Sebastian Vettel's championship-winning Red Bull RB8 as a reward for claiming the 3.5 title and also appeared for Sauber, who subsequently signed Frijns in a reserve role for 2013.

Just days after representing the Swiss outfit in the young-driver test at Silverstone that July, Frijns was dropped by his GP2 team, telling GPUpdate.net how he had "no (sponsorship) money," before leaving Sauber in September. Despite his lack of financial backing, Frijns clung on to the fringes of F1 by becoming the third driver at Caterham, where he came close to a breakthrough in the pinnacle of motorsport. Tony Fernandes, the team owner, told GPUpdate.net that Caterham were tempted to employ him as one of their two race drivers, such was their excitement over his potential, before deciding to "be a little bit conservative in giving him time to get used to F1." Caterham's high opinion of their young driver was evident in the amount of track time he was afforded in 2014, with Frijns appearing in pre-season testing as well as practice sessions in Bahrain and Silverstone. If they did intend to hand Frijns a grand prix debut, however, they missed their window of opportunity as the team suffered terminal financial problems , with a Caterham seat going to the highest bidder in the closing months of the season.

At a time the independent teams faced more money worries than ever before, Frijns—who denied he rejected an offer to join Red Bull's young-driver scheme, per the official Formula E website —was frozen out of F1. Still just 24, he finished second in the Blancpain sportscar series in 2015 and is currently competing in the second season of the all-electric series, where F1 careers go to die. James Calado Mark Thompson/Getty Images James Calado was essentially the Jolyon Palmer of 2013: a media-friendly British driver with a respectable record in GP2 and a reserve role at a mid-grid Formula One team. But while Palmer will make his grand prix debut with Renault in 2016, Calado, still only 26, no longer appears on the F1 radar after switching to endurance racing. Runner-up to Valtteri Bottas in the 2011 GP3 championship, the Worcestershire-born driver made the natural progression to GP2 in 2012 and made an instant impression, claiming victory on the opening weekend of the season and ultimately finishing fifth in the drivers' standings.

Although 2013 didn't quite go to plan—he failed to win a race until August, finishing third in the championship—Calado gained serious momentum and was offered several opportunities with Force India. Under the management of Nicolas Todt—son of FIA president Jean Todt and an advisor to Felipe Massa, Pastor Maldonado and the late Jules Bianchi, who tested for Force India throughout 2012—Calado received his first taste of F1 machinery in the young-driver test at Silverstone. Less than two months later, he was announced as Force India's third driver before participating in five grand prix practice sessions in Italy, Korea, India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil, which led to a full-time Ferrari drive. But not, alas, with the Ferrari we know and love.

Supported by the Racing Steps Foundation, which backs under-funded youngsters, Calado told BBC Sport (h/t GPUpdate.net ) that while Force India knew he was "doing a good job," his chances of earning an F1 seat for 2014 were "unlikely" unless "someone comes along with millions of pounds." That saviour never arrived and Calado joined the Prancing Horse's GT team in the World Endurance Championship, where he continues to race today. All statistics used in this article, unless stated, have been taken from the official Formula One website and Wikipedia .

Question: Name the British racing driver who came third in his first ever Formula One race in Australia, this year (2007)?
Answer: LEWIS HAMILTON